Ministry of Railways
Farmers in India getting nation wide access of market as Kisan Rails carry 2.7 lakh Tonnes of consignments.
60 Routes operationalised till now
Indian Railways, with its pan-India network, forms an integral part of the government plan to raise incomes in farm sector by encouraging transportation by rail. Introduction of Kisan Rails have given farmers wide access of Indian markets. Kisan Rail have so far carried 2.7 lakh tonnes of consignment. Till now, 60 routes have been operationalised.
Railways have been relentlessly pursuing with various stake holders – including Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, state governments , and local bodies and agencies, Mandis etc – to plan roll out of Kisan Rail services.
Salient features of Kisan Rail:
• Enables movement of perishables including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fishery and dairy products from production or surplus regions to consumption or deficient regions;
• Speedy movement ensures minimum damage during transit;
• Enables farmers to utilize the vast railway network to gain access to distant, bigger and more lucrative markets;
• 50 percent subsidy is given in freight  for transportation of fruits and vegetables;
• Based on the concept of multi commodity, multi consignor, multi consignee, multi stoppages, time-tabled trains – to help small farmers with lesser produce also to transport their consignment without any middleman;
• No minimum limit on quantity that can be booked, enabling even small and marginal farmers to reach bigger and distant markets;
• End-consumers  get fresher produce at cheaper prices, due to reduction in transportation time as well as costs.
In compliance to the announcement made in Union Budget 2020-21, Kisan Rail trains have been introduced by Indian Railways – to move perishables and farm-produce  from production or surplus regions to consumption or deficient regions.
The first train under Kisan Rail scheme – between Devlali  and Danapur  – was flagged-off by Hon’ble Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal and Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar on 07.08.2020. This train has subsequently been extended to run between Sangola  and Muzaffarpur .
The 100th trip under Kisan Rail scheme – between Sangola  and Shalimar  – was flagged-off by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 28th December 2020.
Till 18th June 2021, a total of 850 trips of Kisan Rail trains were operated on 60 routes, transporting more than 2.7 lakh Tonnes of consignments. The monthly performance of these trains during 2021 has been as under:
January 2021 – 82 trips 
February 2021 – 128 trips 
March 2021 – 133 trips 
April 2021 - 127 trips 
May 2021 - 173 Trips 
June  - 93 Trips 
Kisan Rail trains are run on time-tabled paths, and are being monitored for punctuality as well as to ensure that perishable commodities reach their destinations within due time, and also that Indian Railways’ resources are utilized in the most optimal manner.
Main crops/farm-produce transported via Kisan Rail train include oranges, onion, potato, banana, mango, tomato, pomegranate, custard apple, capsicum, chikoo, carrot, etc
Pricing and Subsidy: All the Kisan Rail train services are being charged at ‘P-scale’ of Parcel tariff.
Under ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total’ scheme of Ministry of Food Processing Industries  50% subsidy in freight is granted on transportation of fruits and vegetables through Kisan Rail trains services.
Since the introduction of this subsidy scheme  till 15th June 2021, an amount of Rs 52.38 crore approx has been disbursed as subsidy through Kisan Rail.
List of Kisan Rail Routes